The requirements set forth in this chapter shall apply to any development or redevelopment of property within the City of Norwalk.

The use of physical barriers or buffers is considered a necessary requirement to allow for the transition from one zoning district or use to another contrasting zoning district or use in recognition of neighbor’s rights, to promote the coordination of neighborhood efforts and compatibility of neighborhood elements, and to protect the value of buildings and property.

The following conditions shall require a buffer:

   1.   Buffers shall be required as shown on the Table of Buffer Requirements where different zoning classifications abut. A buffer required by the table shall be provided by the proposed development when it is located in a zoning district listed in the left-most column of the table and the development abuts a zoning district listed across the top of the table

   2.   Where a proposed development is located adjacent to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) District, a buffer shall be required based on the existing uses in the area adjacent to the proposed development or the most intense uses permitted by the PUD District if the area adjacent to the proposed development is vacant. The buffer required shall be based on the Table of Buffer Requirements using the zoning district in which the existing or proposed uses permitted in the PUD District are first permitted.

Buffer standards are stated in terms of the width of the buffer and the number of plant units required per one hundred (100) linear feet. The width of each buffer shall, at a minimum, meet the standard buffer width. The City Council, with recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, may allow the described narrower buffer widths. The “plant unit multiplier” is a factor by which the basic number of plant materials required for a given buffer is determined given a change in width of that yard. The number of plant materials required shall be rounded up when a fraction is calculated. The type and quantity of plant materials required by each buffer, and each buffer option, are specified in this section. These standards are minimum requirements. More plantings, wider buffers, or higher structures may be provided.

   1.   Buffer 1: The standard buffer shall be a thirty (30) foot wide landscaped buffer. A three (3) foot berm is required.

      Required planting per 100 linear feet of buffer:

      2 Canopy Trees

      2 Understory Trees

      5 Evergreen Trees

      16 Shrubs

 

   2.   Buffer 2: The standard buffer shall be a fifty (50) wide foot landscaped buffer. A three (3) foot berm is required.

      Required planting per 100 linear feet of buffer:

      4 Canopy Trees

      3 Understory Trees

      4 Evergreen Trees

      24 Shrubs

 

   3.   Buffer 3: The standard buffer shall be a fifty (50) wide foot landscaped buffer. A three (3) foot berm is required.

      Required planting per 100 linear feet of buffer:

      5 Canopy Trees

      4 Understory Trees

      5 Evergreen Trees

      34 Shrubs

 

   4.   Buffer 4: The standard buffer shall be a seventy-five (75) wide foot landscaped buffer. A six (6) berm is required or a six (6) foot solid masonry/brick wall shall be provided along the property line.

      Required planting per 100 linear feet of buffer:

      6 Canopy Trees

      5 Understory Trees

      6 Evergreen Trees

      38 Shrubs

 

 

1 = buffer shall meet requirements of a Buffer 1

2 = buffer shall meet requirements of a Buffer 2

3 = buffer shall meet requirements of a Buffer 3

4 = buffer shall meet requirements of a Buffer 4

A buffer wall may be permitted with specific approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council, when it can be shown that a traditional landscaped buffer is not feasible. A buffer wall shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in height; constructed of a permanent low maintenance material such as concrete block, cinder block, brick, concrete, precast concrete, tile block, etc.; the wall shall be designed by an architect or engineer for both structural adequacy and aesthetic quality.

The burden of provision and selection of the buffer shall be as follows:

   1.   Where two different zoning districts, requiring a buffer between them, are both in an existing improved condition, the above requirement is not retroactive and should a buffer be desired, it shall be by mutual agreement between property owners or as otherwise provided by law. However, in the event of any or all of the improved property is abandoned, destroyed, demolished, etc., for the purpose of renewal or redevelopment, etc., that portion of such property being renewed or redeveloped, etc., shall be considered vacant land subject to the requirements herein.

   2.   Where one of two different zoning districts requiring a buffer between them is partially developed, the developer of the vacant land shall assume the burden, unless otherwise specified herein.

   3.   Where both zoning districts, requiring a buffer between them, are vacant or undeveloped, the burden shall be assumed by the developer of the more intense use.

Where the line between two districts, requiring a buffer, follows a street, right-of-way, railroad, stream, or other similar barrier, the required buffer width may be reduced, according to the buffer standards tables, with the exception that a buffer wall will still require City approval.

Where the line between two districts, requiring a buffer, follows a street, right-of-way, railroad, stream, or other similar barrier, the requirement for a buffer may be waived by the City Council upon receipt of a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, provided such waiver does not permit the exposure of undesirable characteristics of land use to the adjoining zoning district.